The Pentagon will soon receive guidance on how the White House wants to roll out its military transgender ban, according to a report Wednesday.
The guidance from the Trump administration is expected to give Defense Secretary Jim Mattis discretion to consider a service member’s ability to deploy when deciding whether to force them out of the country’s armed forces, according to the Wall Street Journal.
A two-and-a-half page memo obtained by the Journal also directs the Pentagon to deny admittance to transgender applicants and to cease spending on related medical treatments. Additionally, it gives Mattis six months to implement the new policy.
President Trump announced the policy reversal in a series of tweets on July 26 that caught the Pentagon, lawmakers, and advocates off-guard.
“After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military,” Trump wrote. “Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. Thank you.”
After Trump’s announcement, Pentagon officials said they would wait for further guidance from the White House before introducing any changes.
Former Defense Secretary Ash Carter under former President Barack Obama announced in 2016 that transgender people already in the military could serve openly and directed service chiefs to formulate a transgender recruitment strategy by July 1, 2017. Mattis announced a delay in the implementation of the direction after he was confirmed to head the Department of Defense.
